You know your functional product has a taste challenge. The earthy notes, the bitterness, that lingering fishy aftertaste that just will not go away. You know it. But you are not quite sure where to start, or what a proper process even looks like.

In this episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of exactly what happens when a functional food or drink brand brings me their product and says, this doesn't taste great, can you help?

From the moment I open the product and taste the raw base, to the flavour workshop, to the full day of trials with my client, this is what the process actually looks like, the unglamorous, spreadsheet-heavy, nose-wrinkling reality of it.

In this episode:

• What I am actually doing when I taste a product for the first time, and why that first tasting tells me everything
• The difference between "I don't like it" and feedback that actually moves your product forward
• Why I do up to 200 trials per project, and what I am looking for in each one
• What a flavour workshop really looks like, and how it gets your whole team aligned
• The moment in every project when the energy in the room completely shifts

If you already know your product has a taste problem and you want to understand what a structured process looks like, this one is for you.

🔗 ⁠Book your Flavour MOT⁠ (25% off with code MOT26 (only few spots left!)

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast!

💌 ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to my newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to receive every week directly in your inbox the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and how to solve them.

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I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's.

I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.

If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

You had an amazing day at the market. People tried your product, they loved it, they told you it was brilliant. You drove home thinking, this is working.

But here's the thing. Most food and drink founders in that exact moment never ask the one question that could completely change the way they see that day.

In this episode, I am talking about something I see all the time with established food and drink brands, something that feels like confidence but is actually quietly killing your repeat purchases. It is called the echo chamber effect. And the scary part? You probably do not even know you are in one.

In this episode:

• Why the feedback you collect at events is almost always biased (and what you are missing without realising)
• The difference between someone buying your product once and someone becoming a loyal customer
• Why health benefits alone will never be enough to drive repeat purchase
• Two things you can do right now to get objective, honest data on what your product actually tastes like
• Why the brands that struggle most are not the ones who asked for help too early

🔗 Book your Flavour MOT (25% off with code MOT26 (only few spots left!)

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast!

💌 ⁠⁠Subscribe to my newsletter⁠⁠ to receive every week directly in your inbox the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and how to solve them.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's.

I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.

If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

What if you could know exactly what's wrong with your food or drink product flavour, and exactly how to fix it, in just one week?

No guessing. No months of back and forth with suppliers. Just clear, expert answers, fast.

In this episode of The Food Lab Podcast, I'm taking you fully behind the scenes of the Flavour MOT, my expert flavour health check for established food and drink brands.

I'm walking you through every single step, what I'm analysing, what you get, and how you can use that information straight away.

Because here's the thing. A lot of food and drink brand owners don't actually need a six-month formulation project. Sometimes you just need to know quickly if there is actually a problem, something maybe you're not even aware of yet.

In this episode, I walk you through:

● The exact process I follow when I receive your product

● Why I taste your ingredients separately, and what I'm actually looking for

● The traffic light system I use in every single report

● Why positioning matters just as much as taste

● How to decide how much support you actually need after your report

If your product isn't performing the way it should, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Listen to #13 (why I created the Flavour MOT) here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/epicsi

🔗 Book your Flavour MOT (25% off with code MOT26 — first 10 spots only): https://www.epicsi.co.uk/flavour-MOT

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's.

I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.

If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

You've done the trials. The product is really good. But you're not launching. Because what if it could be better? What if it's not perfect yet?

Here's the truth: it will never be perfect.

And waiting for perfection is keeping your product off shelves while your competitors are building their customer base.

In this episode:

• Real client story: When personal preference nearly killed a launch
• Why "perfect" is costing you thousands in lost revenue
• The 5-question readiness checklist to know if you should launch
• Launch and learn: Why you'll need to tweak after launch anyway (and that's okay)
• How to tell the difference between "not ready" and "not perfect"

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Your product was perfect. Then suddenly it doesn't taste the same anymore. What happened?

Nine times out of ten, someone in your supply chain switched suppliers without telling your R&D team. Because "it's the same ingredient on paper." Except it's not.

In this episode:

- Real client story: How a cocoa powder switch undid 6 months of development work in weeks

- Why "same ingredient on paper" ≠ same in your product

- The hidden costs of switching suppliers without testing

- How to protect your product from procurement decisions that destroy taste

- The one diagnostic question to ask when your product changes

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.